Barge and Vanderbilt Unveil Collaborative Initiative Aimed at Educating Leaders on Generative AI

The New 'Generative AI for Leaders' Course Provides a Comprehensive Journey into Understanding, Applying, and Mastering Generative AI as a Robust Tool to Strengthen Leadership Capabilities.

Nashville, TN –  Barge Design Solutions an engineering and architecture firm with diverse in-house multidisciplinary practice areas, is collaborating with Vanderbilt University’s Future of Learning and Generative AI Initiative to educate executives on how to embrace and harness this groundbreaking technology in business leadership. 

To kick off this collaboration, Dr. Jules White, senior advisor to the chancellor for generative AI in education and enterprise solutions and professor of Computer Science at Vanderbilt University, and Bob Higgins, Barge's CEO and president worked together to co-create a new course, ‘Generative AI for Leaders,’ which comprehensively addresses essential AI skills tailored for business leaders. 

Hosted on Coursera, “Generative AI for Leaders” takes approximately four hours to complete and offers hands-on experience across various capabilities, including agenda architecting, proposal proficiency, leveraging AI for brainstorming, drafting effective communication, navigating HR dynamics, and executing seamless leadership transitions.  

"Executive leaders can already see the transformative power and potential of rapidly developing AI systems," said Dr. White. "This course offers them a deeper understanding of the technology, without getting bogged down in needless complexity. Our goal in developing this new educational series is to help leaders harness the remarkable capabilities of AI to accelerate their strategic and operational objectives." 

Throughout the course, Dr. White and Higgins provide a deep dive into Generative AI to help leaders understand the underlying principles of this technology and learn how augmented intelligence acts as an ‘Exoskeleton of the Mind’ to enhance cognitive capabilities while boosting productivity. The course also addresses anxieties and skepticism related to Generative AI to help leaders understand how to successfully integrate the technology into their organizations.   

"Generative AI is fundamentally transforming the landscape for business leaders and will unlock efficiencies and opportunities we can’t even imagine yet,” said Higgins, an alumnus of Vanderbilt School of Engineering and the current vice chair of the School of Engineering's Board of Visitors. “Barge is honored to work with a leading-edge institution like Vanderbilt, and we believe this course represents a significant stride in bridging the gap between research and academia, and the business community. This collaboration will help strengthen future business leaders who may dream up the next revolutionary business or technology that changes the world.” 

“Generative AI for Leaders” is the first course on the Coursera platform that speaks to an executive audience about Generative AI. Due to this, Coursera included this course as part of its new GenAI Academy, which aims to improve executive and foundational literacy worldwide.  

This collaboration underscores the shared commitment of Vanderbilt University and Barge to forward-thinking educational approaches and signifies a pioneering step towards advancing Generative AI education in the business realm.  

Krishnendu Roy, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor, praised the collaboration as a prime example of academia and industry working together to promote understanding of revolutionary AI technology among leaders in multiple fields and organizations. 

“Dr. White is one of the world’s foremost experts in generative AI technology,” Roy said. “Working together with Bob Higgins at Barge, they will help leaders solve real-world challenges with a promising technology that is destined to continue growing rapidly in the months and years ahead.” 

In addition to the course, both parties are working together to establish a Generative AI Research Collaborative to identify and fund research projects to develop and test novel business opportunities and disruptive business methods involving generative AI.  

These are the first of many initiatives from both parties that will aim to deepen the integration of academia and industry, contributing to the ongoing growth and dynamism of the business community in Nashville and beyond. 

About Barge Design Solutions 

Barge, is an engineering and architecture firm with diverse, in-house multidisciplinary practice areas. The 500+ employee-owned company serves clients nationwide from multiple U.S. locations. Barge is ranked No. 169 on Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) 2023 Top 500 Design Firms list and is a certified Great Place to Work®. Learn more and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. 

About Vanderbilt University  

Founded in 1873 as an institution that would “contribute to strengthening the ties that should exist between all sections of our common country,” Vanderbilt University is globally renowned for its transformative education and pathbreaking research. The university’s 10 schools reside on a parklike campus set in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, contributing to a collaborative culture that empowers leaders of tomorrow and prizes free expression, open inquiry and civil discourse. 

Vanderbilt and the affiliated nonprofit Vanderbilt University Medical Center frequently engage in interdisciplinary collaborations to drive positive change across society at large. The two entities recently reached a combined total of more than $1 billion in external research funding in a single year. This landmark achievement reflects the university’s deep commitment to expanding the global impact of its innovation and research as it increases opportunities for faculty, students and staff to pursue bold new ideas and discoveries.